In Humboldt County, on average, nearly two and a half missing person’s reports were filed per day in 2016. Most didn’t stay missing, but law enforcement expended hundreds of man hours following leads, entering data, scouring wildlands as well as city streets, and attempting to locate the lost, the intentionally wandering, and sometimes, those who were likely murdered and their crumpled bodies hidden from those who searched.

The sheer number of people missing each year that local law enforcement deals with is staggering. In 2016, the latest year for which statistics are available on the California Department of Justice’s website, 513 missing children reports were filed and 348 missing adults reports were filed in Humboldt County alone. Most of these eventually returned on their own or were located. However, three of the adults were found deceased. Fifteen of the adults reported and seven of the children had been arrested.

Trying to look closely at the numbers of those missing here in the Emerald Counties is like trying to grab water–you know you’ve touched something but you don’t have anything solid when you open your hand. For example, take a closer look at Humboldt. According to Lt. Dennis Young of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, Humboldt County has 176 people currently listed as missing. The county’s records manager Melva Paris tells me that the oldest case is from 1975.

According to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) website, “Law enforcement agencies are required by law to submit reports of missing persons to DOJ.” But, from the research we did, a number of those known to be missing in the Emerald Counties, are not listed on the site.

For instance, we were able to compile only 50 missing people in Humboldt County from the DOJ’s site and other sources such as news reports and websites like NamUs–the National Missing and Unidentified Persons’ System. And, of those 50 we’ve compiled, seventeen of those names are not actually listed on the Department of Justice’s site. This could mean they’ve been located and removed but, in many instances, all available information indicates most of the 17 are actually missing.

In addition, Melva Paris, Humboldt County’s Records Manager, in notes compiled for us by Samantha Karges of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, pointed out the two earliest missing are a pair of brothers swept from the South Jetty, Herbert and Raymond Wall. Neither are listed on the DOJ site.

Paris explained, “The DOJ Website only puts Missing Persons on their Website that could possibly be homicide victims due to the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.” This would mean that the Walls were kept off the site because they are believed to have died of natural causes. However, Gregory James Kuljian (Geddie), who disappeared after being swept away by the ocean, is listed. Nonetheless, this might account for at least some of the names not listed by the DOJ that we have noted below.

However, some of what we know about those missing but not listed indicate they were not the victims of nature but quite possibly the victims of homicide. Robert Joseph Tennison, missing person number 27 on the list of Humboldt County’s missing we’ve compiled at the bottom of this article, is widely believed to have been murdered and there is no indication of a natural death.

Some of those not listed from Humboldt are well-known or relatively recent like Robert Tennison, Sumi Gail Juan, and all the 2017 cases. (Note: The 2017 known missing persons are listed for all the other Emerald Counties.)

Paris agrees there is a discrepancy between Humboldt County numbers and the numbers of those listed on the DOJ website. Speaking through Karges, she said, “I’m not sure where DOJ gets the figures because the data they are supplying doesn’t match… I have contacted [the DOJ’s Missing Person] Unit to find out where this information comes from.” As of the time of publishing, Paris hasn’t gotten back to us with an explanation.

She did tell us, “Department of Justice provides downloads for every County of Missing Persons. The list is updated daily.”

We requested that list for publication and were told that the Sheriff’s Department wanted to evaluate our request.

In addition, we spoke to Tania Mercado, Press Secretary from the California Department of Justice, and she would only say that the names of the missing people are added or removed based on information given the DOJ by law enforcement throughout California. She was not able to provide any criteria for why some are listed and some are not.

Long after the missing posters on those who have vanished have faded and blown away in the wind, some family members will keep vigil. Some will keep vigil silently–barely acknowledging out loud the loose thread that caught on their heart when their loved one vanished and which now threatens to unravel their life. Some will keep vigil by reaching out to the media or police or both on a regular basis, hoping even decades after their loss that they will get answers. They hope but, at the same time, they fear to know for sure that their loved one is dead.

If you have a family or friend missing, an event this June 9 in Sacramento may be helpful to you. This free event will have law enforcement available to help record information. Family members can give DNA samples if they choose to help with identification. They are also “encouraged to bring photos, along with medical and dental records of their missing loved ones.”

Missing Persons in the Emerald Counties:

Meanwhile, we offer the following information. We have listed and linked every missing person that we know of within the Emerald Counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity. Please feel free to comment below with information about any who might need to be added. We’ll try to verify and update.

1974 June Stephen Locke Packard (information from Namus) a travelers check in Packard’s name was cashed at a store in Westport, Mendocino County, CA. Linda Lovell and Stephen Packard have not been heard from since then.

I would try and find the farm your friend was working on for possible more answers. I don’t know if jumping out of the car and running into the woods on 36 is the truth. People try to get happenings away from the farm. Best wishes.

True, folks go out of there ways & do incriminating Shit to protect their grows vs care anything bout a families, longing for their loved ones. For as beautiful a place this can be, there is a lot of dirt underneath the canopy.

Just look at the Bay area recently, for example. A boy visiting his patents from college, went missing. They searched for wks. After much pressure, the friend who last saw him, admitted he was involved in his friends death. He originally told authorities he dropped his friend off at the park, where the poor kid was found deceased.

Thank you very much for your response, for your wishes and your help. I suppose the police would have done those things and talked to those workers. I think that’s their job. It is true that the story sounds strange but I know Enrique, the driver’s brother and they are not the kind of family that would hide some detail. Why was someone going to lie about that? There is no fear or anything that matters more than finding Ivan. I still think that Ivan has some mental problem and I hope he appears soon

I’m not sure what the purpose of the article is. There are a lot of missing people in our area but it is not surprising with the extent of rough wild areas, rivers, ocean where bodies can be undiscovered and, let’s face it, drugs and criminal activity. But it’s not all violence or traumatic.

Is it the inconsistency in various data bases that needs fixing? That people disappear is not common but not unknown.

Anyway, I have interviewed a handful of ‘missing people’ in my life who disappeared for various reasons of their own, mostly personal but a couple criminal. They might have successfully lost themselves for decades. And I have developed presumption of death determinations on people who disappeared. Some in situations of imminent danger and some who disappeared without any indication anything wrong. Even a couple for reasons of fraud. The reasons are as varied as people generally are.

Well, we have the largest number of missing reported per Capita in California. The rest of the Emerald Counties are substantially lower. Don’t you think it would be nice to know if that was because Humboldt’s law enforcement do such a great job reporting, the others do such a poor job of reporting, if Humboldt, which has similar terrain and types of criminals has some particular problem, or…if there is something wrong with the DOJ’s method of imputing the information?

The first step to answering that question is to get people noticing that there is a problem.

I’m not sure that it represents anything more than a combination of more visitors (tourists and drugs) and a very difficult natural terrain and a larger population in Eureka Ca and a larger over all population. And an ocean. And remarkably large and tolerated transient population.

Of the three counties, Humboldt has the highest population, the biggest city. By about a third more? It is only reasonable that it has the most missing persons. Also Humboldt Co has quite a reputation for its drug culture. People who haven’t a clue where Mendocino or Trinity Counties are know what HumboldtCo is famous for and it isn’t the Redwoods. It attracts people engaging in risky activities at a high rate. Who frequently do so in isolated areas where no one is likely to stumble into bodies. And with our thick brush, even in populated areas bodies are not readily discovered.

It would be surprising if Humboldt Co was not a ‘black hole’ but to know, the stats for the other counties are needed. Then statistically analyzed. Even then, given all the contributing causes like drugs, what difference does it make? We know we have a major drug problem, we know we have a major transient problem. We lose people to the ocean and rivers. We know this already. We could pick any one of those factors to address now.

If you want a unified reporting system for the missing, ok but that is a national problem. Not local at all. But we as a nation have so many independent jurisdictions, the DOJ stats are not complete or accurate for murders, much less missing.

I’m the one who is confused now. You agree we have a problem with high numbers of missing. You seem to agree that are reporting system issues. (The DOJ system is national. I’m just looking at the California information.) WE could pick any one of those factors to address. Well, I addressed the numbers of those missing and the problems with the reporting system. So why do you think this is not worth talking about?

Missing is not a cause. It’s a symptom. If we could fix the drug problem, I suspect the missing problem would cure itself. And we do not have the will to do that at all. In fact, the attempts to brand our drug culture for profit is a much touted idea. We could cease making ourselves so attractive a place to live or visit for those unprepared for the realities, yet we do just the opposite.

But what I’m saying is that I looked for information that shows we have a larger problem that the three counties mentioned and couldn’t find it. If, for example, we have a population 1/3 larger than either of the other two counties and we have a valid missing reports that are only 1/3 larger, then Humboldt isn’t out of line. If we eliminate ocean related disappearances, then compare it to Trinity Co, that might be informative. That part is simply arithmatic.

And if it is more than 1/3 larger, the first question to ask is if the other counties are reporting, not whether we simply have a bigger problem. That would come later.

And about it being a national problem, we are politically unable to force other units of government to conform by Constitution to national mandates unless not doing so isitself a Constitutional issue.

The bottom line is that I don’t think it is worth talking about when we are already committed to not doing anything about the causes. Sorry to stink up a nice idea. But it is already clear why this problem exists.

Yes this is a major problem in this area and different in so many ways from other places. All your arguments are moot. You aren’t sorry to stink up a nice idea, you just want your opinion out there. TY Kym for this article.

Nonsense. Just look through what info is on so many of the missings’s profiles. Pot industry, coming to work in the the pot industry, involved in a grow. It is clear where a large part of the problem lies, yet it will be denied, dismissed and ignored in favor of blaming the police. It is an industry that attracts problems like sugar attracts flies.

“I’m not sure what the purpose of the article is. ” I know it’s rare for the Northcoast to have a real journalist practicing actual, investigative journalism, but that’s what this is. Shining a light into those dark places and investigating how our civil servants do the same, or fail to do so. Your rationale for why Humboldt has a high rate of missing persons may be accurate but your rationalization doesn’t supercede the need and want of families to have answers for why their loved ones have disappeared. If people like Kym doesn’t step up to fill the gap where government agencies fail to do so, then who is going to do it?

Thanks, Kym, for tackling this difficult subject. I appreciate your service to this community.

But first you show there is a problem. That is not reported. May be true but it’s not in the North Coast Journal article or here.

Then think about it before blaming bureaucrats. People come here to lose themselves. They seek isolation from their family or past. That is not the fault of the bureaucracies that the locals do not cooperate, having interest in avoiding the police, and that the population can not support the level of personnel required to do what they demand.

The proof is in the pudding. Your analysis for the “why” is entirely anecdotal. It may very well be true but there is no way to quantify your assumptions. As for the Northcoast having a higher rate per-capita of missing persons that is demonstrable, which Kym has done. Also, these are individuals with individual stories. To lump them all together is presumptuous at best and cold and arrogant at worse. Go through and read some of the individual cases.

I’m not blaming the bureacracies for the missing people. They do have a job to do and it takes critical citizens to shine a light on them when the fail to do their job.

Statistical comparison: about 1 in 4000 people are currently missing in the USA. About 1 in 3000 are missing in Humboldt and 1 in 750 are missing in Trinity. Trinity is an outlier with its low population.

It’s the pudding that’s missing. Population is not ‘anecdotal.’ As I said, it’s arithmatic.

As for not blaming bureaucracy- ” I’m not blaming the bureacracies for the missing people. They do have a job to do and it takes critical citizens to shine a light on them when the fail to do their job.” – that is exactly what that sentence does.

As far as the causes, no one keeps records of who was a resident and who was travelling through, who was allegedly involved in pot growing when they went missing. So assigning any reason is a guess but my guess will be more informed than most.

In other places of dense population , missing body cases have been mostly either a disappeance accompanied by financial or relationship problems and cases where there was evidence of a murder but no body was located.

Here they were 1) lost at sea or on the river, 2) disappeared while alleged to be camping or hiking and 3) people who were allegedly involved in pot grow operations with or without allegations of disagreements. I can’t remember even one that was other than these three although others might have been involved in one of the more typical type found elsewhere.

“I know it’s rare for the Northcoast to have a real journalist practicing actual, investigative journalism, but that’s what this is. Shining a light into those dark places and investigating how our civil servants do the same, or fail to do so….. Thanks, Kym, for tackling this difficult subject. I appreciate your service to this community.”

The purpose of the article is fairly obvious:to bring much needed attention to a horrible situation that is usually only viewed one incident at a time. When seen cumulatively like this, the magnitude might be more clearly seen & more resources brought to bear.
Thank you Kym, this is an awesome article. Thanks especially for including Karen Mitchell, who has not been forgotten by many of us.

This is sad, but very important to continue tracking. Thank you. It would also be helpful to see a list of unsolved homicides. Maybe it would encourage a more concerted effort by law enforcement to solve cold cases. We lost a very dear family member to a homicide many years ago, but the investigation was bungled and the case never resolved. Recently a judge apologized for that in a personal interaction, and he and a former law enforcement officer have both told me that “we know who really did that.” So do we, but no justice has been served. It doesn’t go away. It hurts every day.

“Wife” of a few short weeks goes to report him missing WITH A LAWYER IN TOW. Refuses to be interviewed . Within few short months divorced him via public notices and he’s likely been declared dead. Wow Humboldt county that’s the best we can do?

Yes. Just think about trying to charge a person for murder, which I think is what you are suggesting, without a body. Without a witness to immediate peril. Suspicions are not enough.

He can’t be declared dead in those circumstances for 7 years. Even then if remains are found, murder does not have a statute of limitations in prosecution. But in the absense of anything to go on, the law can not act.

Omfg . And what else do ppl know? I’m not suggesting charging the wife with murder directly but her behavior afterwards and that of his close partners/associates raises huge red flags. Wthell. His poor brother and family 14 years no closure and knowing his estate went to her etc. Read his website and do some internet digging yourself . It’s disturbing. My hunch, someone knows something.

I might be misremembering some details; but didn’t he have a court case right before he disappeared where the sherif ended up being help in contempt for not returning marijuana to him (thereby pissing the sherif off majorly) and then he held a marijuana giveaway on the courthouse steps? I always thought he pissed off the wrong people in power, that might have had something to do with him disappearing.

Alot of times they will write a missing then body found as a suicide,in stead of doing they jobs and investagateing,it.and the corner in humboldt also has vacations to get to instead of doing a full and throw ortopsy,easyer to just write in off he drawed cause found on beach..

Humboldt County has the most incompetent and disgraceful Law Enforcement community I have EVER witnessed. From the investigations to the district attorneys… incompetence is the standard as evidenced here. ( I do have a fair share of personal experience as well).

Michael Bear Carson and Suzan Carson, Wayne Adam Ford, The killing of Larry Amsterdam the “deal” given to individuals involved just to name a few of the more high profile incidents of gross negligence over the years.

Thank you, Kym! What ever happened w the skeleton found on the riverbank on Halloween near Mendo county line?…Also I don’t see listed here the young woman who disappeared while hitchhiking from Willow Creek to Arcata in late eighties/ early nineties (Tro’s girlfriend)?

The skeleton is still unidentified. It has been found so it doesn’t really fit under missing persons.

Jennifer “Jade” Wilmer is #3 under Trinity County which is where she was living at the time of her disappearance but many folks believed she disappeared between Willow Creek and Arcata so a case for her being one of Humboldt’s missing could be made.

When beutiful young women stand on the side of a back road desperately looking “for work” at harvest time, it’s just a invite for methed out hillbilly’s to take advantage. They don’t think twice about getting in a truck with a stranger and going out 10 miles down a dirt road with a promise of “work”! I ve lived here all my life and backroads in honeydew and kettenpom still scare me!

Watch the HBO Doc. on Robert Durst, The Jinx. He lived in Trinidad off an on. The last phone call to one of his alleged victims was from the old pay phone alongside Calico’s! He was around during the time of Karen Mitchell’s disappearence… The documentary will burn through 6 hrs of your life, but the last five min. are the best. The lead up is worth it for understanding the significance.

Mitchell Hernandez went missing in Nov. 2016, was found in the river 30 miles from the open waters in Jan. 2017. He remained a John doe for a year. His mother was notified a couple weeks ago in the beginning of Jan. 2018. She was told they were understaffed that was the reason she suffered wondering for over a year.

Great article Kym. I cant express my appreciation enough for not letting our loved ones be forgotten. Keep up the great work and tune out the ignorant comments. You are doing amazing work and those left behind by the missing are thankful you are keeping the light on for them. Love love love.